Local residents have the chance to help shape the future of
Peterborough and influence action on major issues facing modern
society by joining a high-powered ‘Civic Commons’ initiative being
created by Peterborough City Council in partnership with the Royal
Society for the Arts and Arts Council England.
The Civic Commons initiative is one of seven projects being
developed under an innovative Citizen Power Peterborough programme
that seeks to stimulate ordinary residents to become more involved
in tackling issues that affect their neighbourhoods and the wider
community.
People who are already active in community life and others with
fresh ideas are being invited to join strategic thinkers and local
and national decision-makers in regular debates and discussions
about issues such as immigration, economic growth, climate change
and the quality of life.
The discussions are designed to stimulate fresh ideas, new
perspectives and innovative solutions to challenging problems
facing Peterborough and other communities. Participants will be
encouraged to become advocates promoting new ways of working within
their own communities.
City council project manager Graeme Clark said: “The seven
projects of Citizen Power Peterborough give us an opportunity to
re-examine many aspects of life through the active involvement of
local residents. We are focusing on new ways of supporting local
residents and their communities to make a positive difference.
“The Civic Commons project will bring together everyday citizens
with local councillors and MPs and leading thinkers from around the
world to develop new solutions on important issues.
“The debates will share knowledge, air different perspectives
and explore practical answers to social challenges affecting
Peterborough and the nation. We hope the discussions will give
participants the confidence to become leaders of change in their
own communities.”
The ground-breaking Civic Commons meetings are expected to be
held in Peterborough every two months and will last for two hours.
Each meeting will focus on a topical issue with a leading
international specialist providing an overview and answering
questions prior to an open discussion of potential solutions.
The first members of the ‘Civic Commons’ are being invited to
attend induction briefings at the Bull Hotel in Westgate,
Peterborough, on Tuesday and Wednesday 7 and 8 September 2010.
The other six Citizen Power Peterborough projects focus on how
people can help shape the school curriculum, promote sustainable
lifestyles, influence decisions through social media networks, use
the arts to create a sense of belonging, improve community spirit
and pilot new ways to support the recovery of people with drug and
alcohol dependencies. For more information visit:
www.citizenpower.co.uk.
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Additional information:
The Citizen Power Peterborough initiative focuses on
Peterborough’s identified needs and is based on a scoping study
conducted by Sam McLean at the Royal Society for the Arts (See:
http://www.thersa.org/projects/citizen-power). While the RSA was
established over 250 years ago its focus on twenty-first century
enlightenment invites people to return to core principles of
autonomy, universalism and human ends, restoring dimensions that
have been lost and seeing new ways to fulfil these ideals. The
society is committed to stimulating new thinking, social innovation
and – among its 27,500 Fellows – a powerful ethos of
collaboration.
Arts Council England works to get great art to everyone by
championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that
enrich people’s lives. It supports a range of artistic activities
from theatre to music, literature to dance, photography to digital
art, and carnival to crafts. For more information visit:
www.artscouncil.org.uk.